How to Get Your Team Accountable
One of the toughest jobs for a manager knows how to hold your team accountable. You could try to hold each team member accountable, but that is stressful. Think about all the times that you have to ask your staff “How are we doing?” and “Are you going to hit the quota?” Asking question are one of the ways to get information about how much work is being done, and if your team is on track. Here are some tips to make your team accountable so they can be much more effective.
1. Create a Shared Purpose
Every team exists for a purpose. The team’s purpose should be clear to both the manager of the team and the team members. If there is no known purpose of the team, create a purpose since it helps the team know what they are doing and why. The more you can involve the team members in creating the purpose the more that they will be accountable to the team.
2. Be Specific and Clear About Expected Results
People who are in charge of their success are more accountable when it comes to working for a company and in teams. Many times, being accountable is hindered by not having a clear picture of what the results are expected from both the other team members, and the team as a whole.
3. Pay Attention to the Team Behavior When Something Goes Wrong
When things are going as planned, being accountable is easy. However, what happens to the team when something goes wrong, or goals are not met? If you want to see how accountable your team is, watch closely when things are going wrong. You need to help a team learn how to deal with things going wrong, while still being accountable. Pointing fingers is common in a team environment, but it does not fix the problem. So, you should stop the finger-pointing before it starts, or there could be huge cracks starting in your team.
4. Be an Example
If you want your team to be more accountable, you should lead by example and start being more accountable yourself. If you did not meet your goals, be accountable and work harder to meet them. Your team members will notice the change, and will start applying the same work ethic.
Holding your team accountable can be very difficult, and filled with anxiety and stress. Having the proper mechanisms in place makes your team members able to execute the right behaviors, and proactive with areas to exceed the goals they were given. You should also think about leading by example, and becoming more accountable. Be the inspiration that they need, and work with them to help them understand why they need to be both accountable to the team and themselves.
